Many types of meat, for example ham, are processed utilizing a stockinette. A stockinette is preferably a tube of material sewn or clipped closed at one end and open at the other end. Preferably, the stockinette is a netting material made of a thin, cotton material. With ham, three to four muscles may be stuffed into the stockinette through the open end, the stockinette is squeezed tight around the muscles, and the open end is clipped to secure the stockinette about the muscles. The hams may vary in size and in shape. A relatively small amount of the muscles may ease through the openings in the stockinette. The muscles are squeezed, cooked, and smoked as is well known in the art.
After the ham is cured and set, the stockinette is removed from the ham, which is very labor intensive. A U-shaped cut is made manually with a utility knife on the top of the stockinette. The flap portion of the stockinette created by the U-shaped cut is then engaged and peeled back away from the ham. The ham is turned over, the clipped end of the stockinette is grabbed, and the ham is pushed out of the stockinette. The ham is then manually placed on a conveyor for further processing. It is important to not damage the ham by cutting the meat or by pulling some of the meat off with the stockinette. It is also important that the top of the ham be relatively free of marks or flaws. Because this is so labor intensive, it is desired to automate the process for removing a stockinette from meat such as ham.